Tube-cleaning apparatus.



Pqterited May 30,1916.

7 W w M -A4v W a m w .1 I 5 0 w m a F W h 0 M. m. m. m w I 6 m m l s E. E. HAUER. TUBE CLEANING APPARATUS. -APPL|CATION man Nov. 25. 1912. 1,185,198.

rrnn srrA E. BAUER, 0F SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE, .ASSIGNMENTS, TO ELLIOTT COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION P1NN SYLVANIA.

TUBE-CLEANING- ABATU S.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented May 30, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. ELMER E. HAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a. specification, reference being had therein the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to tube cleaning devices. and more particularly to devices of this kind that are employed in cleaning bent tubes, although they may be used in straight tubes.

The object of my invention is to simplify and lessen the cost of production by the use of fewer parts so arranged that the device will more readily pass through bent tubes and give more efficient service.

With these and other objects in view my thereto and showing a different form of cleaner head, Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged views partly in section taken at right angles td each other and in dilierent operative positions, of the cleaner head and coupling shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Any form of a rotary motor may be employed, but for the purpose of illustration a turbine is shown having a casing 1 adapted to travel through a tube. The rear head 2 is hollow forming a chamber having a screw-threaded inlet 3 in which a coupling 3 of a supply conduit or hose is secured to supply the motive agent, which passes through inclined ports '4 of a disk 5 to buckets 6 of a wheel 7 and is discharged through the ports 8 in .a well lmown manner. The wheel 7 is fixed to a shaft 9 by an intermediate hardened hub 10. Said shaft is journaled in bearings 11 and is screw-threaded at its outer end 12.

A universal coupling having end-pieces 13 with oppositely disposed longitudinally extending cars 14, has the ears of the respective pieces joined together by webs 15 with their inner walls inclined in opposite is directions as shown. A connecting member 16 is pivoted at its respective ends by pivots l7 wlthin the recesses formed by the ears and webs of the respective end-pieces. One end of the couplin is secured to the screwthreaded end 12 o the motor shaft and to give increased efliciency to the cleaner head I preferably arrange'this connection with .the axis of the coupling to one side of the axis of the driving shaft as particularly shown by the lines a'a and b b in Fig. 1.

It has been common to provide couphngs having the end-pieces with oppositely disposed longitudinally extending ears without the ears of the respective pieces being joined by webs; but to give them the neces-.

sary strength when employed in driving tube cleaners it has been necessary to make them of wrought material. By joining the ears with webs as described the parts are given suficient' strength so that they can be cast, thereby materially reducing the cost. Furthermore the webs with their oppositely inclined walls allow sufficient play, and yet limit the movement of the coupling so that the respective parts will not lock when in extreme angular position as will sometimes happen in couplings having the ears without the webs. It will be further noted especially by reference to Figs. 3 and 4 that the connecting member 16 is made of sufiicient length so that the ears of the respective end-pieces will not meet even though the webs to join the ears of the respective end-pieces are not employed; but I preferably employ the webs and also make the connecting member of sufiicient length to prevent t e meeting of the end-pieces.

Any type of cleaner head may be employed with the universal coupling and the means for driving same; but when the motor is adapted to travel through the tube with the cleaner and is employed in cleaning bent tubes it is essential that the device be as short as possible, and with this end in view I have devised and shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 a cleaner head formed integral with and as a part of the outer or free end of the universal coupling, the'same being preferably a hard metal casting having pe-- coupling a connection is thereby avoided and the device is shortened.

When it is desired to employ a cleaner head made separate from and secured to said coupling, the connection can be made in any suitable way, as for instance as shown in Fig; 2, where a well known form of cleaner head is shown secured to a screw-threaded reduced portion-19 of the free end of the coupling.

Having thus' described my invention I claim 1; In a tube cleaning apparatus, the combination of a motor adapted to travel through a-tube and a coupling having'end members, one of which is secured to the motor shaft and the other having cutters,

each of said end members having a pair of ears the inner walls of which extend longitudinally in parallel planes, the ears of the respective ends being joined together by webs forming oppositely disposed inclined walls and a connecting member pivoted in recesses-formed by said ears and webs with its walls abutting the inner walls of said ears and free to swing against the incline walls of said webs, substantially as described.

memes having cutters, each of said end members having a pair of ears the inner walls of which extend 1 longitudinally in arallel planes, the ears of the respective en s being joined together by webs forming oppositely disposed inclined walls, the inclined walls of one end being arranged at right angles to those of the other end and a connecting member pivoted in recesses formed by said ears and webs with its, walls abutting the inner walls of said ears and free to swing against the inclined walls of said webs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof 1 I have hereunto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

I ELMER E. HAUER.

Witnesses Gnovm Imnn, Omvm H. Haven. 

